If you live in New York and you’ve never heard of Salon Ruggeri before it’s time that you took the opportunity to do so. The salon offers one of the best, most professional, friendliest and cleanest hair care services that you may ever encounter. Normally I would write a few paragraphs about why they’re so good, but in this case I’m going to break it down so that you get the full picture of why Salon Ruggerio should be on the top of your list of must dos in NYC.

The Staff

From left to right: Greg Ruggeri, Cassie Harwood and Craig Longhurst

Salon Ruggeri was originally started in Australia by Greg Ruggeri and Craig Longhurst. Greg has family members who are stylists so it’s safe to say that the craft is in his blood. He has over 20 years of experience and has worked with celebrities such as Cate Blanchet and had his work featured in many fashion and beauty magazines. Craig on the other hand is an interior designer and a brilliant one at that. Although they were doing rather weill in Australia, they always knew that NYC is where they wanted to be and so they closed shop and moved on over. Shortly after they set up in New York Cassie joined the salon and together they create a brilliant team.

I asked Greg why they didn’t keep the salon in Australia open and his answer is simply that he’s a control freak. He doesn’t want to have a business overseas and not know what’s going on there. He wants to know that his staff is impeccable and his clients are happy. He wants to create an experience.

The Service

Above Image: Salon entrance

The salon seems to aim to a higher level of “experientialism,” as opposed to simply providing a service. There are only two rooms so that the experience is very private and you can actually enjoy the time you are spending there. This is very different from the average salon that has a factory feel to it where people are sitting by the door, several more are getting their hair done and others are getting washed. At Salon Ruggeri you’re greeted with a smile and a level of knowing from the owners, Craig and Greg, and Cassie. All of them are quite obviously obsessed with perfection, but there is a peaceful sense of it here – you get a sense that down to the last details, from the scent of the room, to the candles, to the custom made hair smocks (they resemble cute little ponchos), everything was created with an utmost sense of detail.

The styling is also done with care. My stylist, Cassie, gave me a blowout. She asked me what I wanted, and when I said I was open to anything, she said she would do straight with a little bit of curl at the end, to complement my natural hair. She was thorough, gentle, and my hair was feeling weightless by the end of the treatment. I have very fine hair, so the blow-out only took about 15 minutes or so. She did an amazing job and the blow-out actually lasted fully for four days. She gave me tips for how to try to do a blow-out at home by myself, and gave me styling tips for the products that she gave me as well.

There’s one more thing that I want to mention about their service and this is not a deal breaker but it’s certainly the icing on the cake. Because there are only three people working there and your session is so private, you have no qualms about saying yes to a beverage while being treated. I don’t know about you but when I go to a regular hair salon, even if I want coffee or water I always decline the offer because I feel awkward about it. At Salon Ruggeri, I didn’t have this feeling and was actually impressed and happy to accept when they handed me a menu.

The Décor

Image: Stairwell leading to salon.

Image: Hallway decor from two different floors of the building.

Craig Longhurst has created an atmosphere that draws you in from the moment you enter the front door of the cozy building. Every color, every item in each room has a purpose and a story and they’re all put together to create a feast for the eyes. During the time I was there, I didn’t stop looking around for a second and what interested me as much as the actual items is that Craig took the time to tell me about a few of them, where they came from and why they were included in the décor. This made the room that I was in all the more special and it made the experience more valuable.

My favorite décor details were the French blue couches, the paintings on the walls that lead you from the reception area to one of the styling rooms and the entrance.

Image: Different rooms in the salon

Now Check This Out

If you’re someone who likes to see reviews before purchasing something or going somewhere, check out the raves and reviews that Salon Ruggeri got.

NY Mag- Calls Salon Ruggeri as hair ER (for example- fix a bad dye job) and has a list of reviews up about the salon.

In Closing….

If you’re a New Yorker, if you’re planning on stopping over or if you need someone to fix the state of disaster that your hair is in treat yourself to a session at Salon Ruggeri. The service is phenomenal, the salon is impeccably clean and the staff is friendly. After all, they are one of the top beauty salons in NYC